This invention relates to a method and means for assimilating utility meter data at the meter location. Utility meters are conventionally read at the site of the meter, this information is returned to a central depository wherein the bill for utility usage is computed. The bill is then sent to the customer. This is a very cumbersome means and is quite expensive. The postage alone for this process amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a given utility company. The time lag occasioned by the above process delays the payment of the bills by the customer. Some remote means have been devised so that meters can be read from a central location, but this system requires the installation of special meters which are quite expensive.